Cuban slugger and former WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup star Yasiel Puig signed a one-year, US$ 1 million contract with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league.
Born in Cienfuegos in 1990, Puig impressed the world as the center fielder of the Cuban National Team that earned a bronze medal at the 2008 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.
He signed a seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) in June 2012. He spent the rest of the season in the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2013. He was voted to the All-Star Game the same year and collected 19 home runs in just 104 games.
During the COVID-19 shortened season, he sat out. He then played for El Aguila de Veracruz of the Mexican Baseball League during the 2021 summer season. He also played for the Toros del Este of the Dominican Winter League.
Puig, who became an American Citizen in 2019, was nicknamed The Wild Horse by famed broadcaster Vin Scully.
The Kiwoom Hereos finished fifth in the KBO 2021 regular season and lost the Wild Card series against the Doosan Bears.
